Notes and observations from P-Bruins training camp

After beginning training camp on Monday, the Providence Bruins rounded out a week’s worth of practice with two separate sessions at the Dunkin Donuts Center today. Here are some notes and observations from Day 5 on P-Bruins training camp.

Session One:

• Seventeen players took part in the first session.
• Zach Senyshyn was the first person on the ice for the 10 a.m. practice and the last to leave. The second year pro was arguably the best player during the first session. Senyshyn really stood out during a half rink three-on-three drill, when he found the back of the net several times on some high quality snipes.
• Jeremy Lauzon also buried some chances during the half rink three-on-three drill and was definitely one of the quicker defensemen on the ice during the first practice. He spent several drills skating alongside Connor Clifton.
• Clifton certainly looks like he’s ready to take a step forward this year after a solid rookie campaign that saw him notch 4 goals and 13 points in 54 games. He was very active in every drill and showed a little bit of chemistry with Lauzon.
• The team finished the practice with the forwards on one end of the rink and the defensemen on the other. The forwards were lined up at the half wall for a one-on-one drill; one player would rush the goal and the other would chase. The defensemen worked on one-timers on the other end while the net was empty.
• Some other notable players from the first session: Chris Breen, Jesse Gabrielle, and Dan Vladar.

Session Two:

• Fifteen players took part in the second session, including Anton Blidh, Colby Cave, Emil Johansson, and Wiley Sherman (who is absolutely massive, by the way).
• The coaches spent a good chunk of the second practice conducting forechecking and breakout drills. During a three-on-two forecheck drill, the defensemen were responsible for stealing the puck from the forwards and skating it out of the zone. Sherman had one excellent steal that led to easy break out.
• There really was not much going on during the second session, as most of the players were fairly new.
• Johansson stood out the most among the defensemen practicing.

Vladar stepping up:

P-Bruins Head Coach Jay Leach is certainly impressed with the play of Vladar this training camp. After a few quality preseason performances with the big club, the 21-year-old was sent down to Providence and is expected to compete with Zane McIntyre for the starting job, if the latter clears waivers, of course. Vladar is entering his first full season with Providence after bouncing between the AHL and ECHL the past two years.

“He’s been excellent,” Leach said, following Friday’s practice. “I think he’s played in three games, including the rookie tournament, and every game he’s been terrific. Vladdy will always compete and always fights to find pucks. He’s always going to give you that effort. This camp has been great for him. I think he’s excited to be here and excited for the upcoming season. It’s very encouraging.”

Coaches eager to see Senyshyn perform:

After keeping Senyshyn in a middle-to-bottom-six role during the 2017-2018 season, the P-Bruins coaching staff is anxious to see what Senyshyn can do offensively in his sophomore season.

“Zach has now learned the defensive side of the game and become more responsible in his own zone,” Leach explained. “I think he’s definitely shown that [in] camp and then he was able to get on the scoreboard [in the preseason], which is ultimately what we want to see out of him.”

Although there are plenty of things for Senyshyn to work on this season, Leach hopes he can take everything he’s learned thus far and play to the best of his ability.

“I think we can feel confident in saying that he’s become a more responsible player, but now we’ll look to encourage some offense as we move forward,” said Leach. “He has such an immense array of talents in regards to his physical skill set and hopefully we can get to a place where he can take that over and just start playing.”

Looking ahead:

The P-Bruins will play their only preseason game tomorrow night at the Dunk and open the season on Saturday, October 5 in Hartford.